BackOmbudswoman of the European Union Emily O’Reilly presents Annual Report 2015.
It was a special year for the European Ombudsman office as it celebrated 20 years of existence. The office has dealt with 48 840 complaints since 1995. Independence and impartiality – the principles underpinning its approach since day one – quickly made the office the respected body it is today.
This year was special for another reason. It showed how the work of an ombudsman can have a positive effect over time on the behaviour of the EU administration, in line with my strategy to increase the impact, relevance and visibility of this office. By conducting strategic inquiries into problems in EU institutions, the office was able to help raise the already high transparency and administrative standards in EU public bodies still further.
This was the case across several issues and institutions during 2015. On EU-US trade negotiations, for example, the Commission made great strides in proactively publishing many Transatlantic and Trade Investment (TTIP) documents. It also listed transparency as a basic principle of its new trade strategy, published in October.
Furthermore, the European Central Bank drew up rules on speaking engagements and announced it would publish the meetings of its executive board members, while Frontex accepted the recommendations to ensure that the fundamental rights of migrants who are forcibly returned from the EU are respected.
The office of course was often not the sole actor on these issues but was able to channel concerns expressed by citizens, civil society or Members of the European Parliament, by asking EU institutions to take specific steps. While these results represent systemic gains for citizens, the core of the office’s work remains helping individuals when they encounter problems with EU public administration.
The year also saw the launch of reform proposals for the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO), such as conducting parallel inquiries at the national and European level. The proposals, which built on our successful cooperation during the Frontex inquiry, are meant to bring greater benefits to citizens by capitalising on our mutual expertise.
For further information please see the website of the European Ombudsman.
Source: European Ombudsman
